Hat supporting device



' June 6, 1944. CQNLEY 2,350,728

HAT SUPPORTING. DEVICE Filed Jan. 26, 1940' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mvsmon. GEORGE. B. CONLEY ATTORNEY.

June'6, 1944. a. B. CONLEY 2,350,728

' HAT SUPPORTING DEVICE 7 Filed Jan. 26, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENIOR. GEORGE B. Comer BY. )v wju4 ATTORNEY.

Patented June 6, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAT SUPPORTING DEVICE- George B. Conley, Cleveland, Ohio Application January 26, 1940, Serial No. 315,815

Claims.

This invention relates to supports for the crowns of hats of felt, soft straw, cloth and the like and serving the same general purpose as does the invention disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,038,828, issued to me on April 28, 1936. The principal object of the present invention is to provide a hat crown supporting device which supports and reinforces the crown, particularly at the front of the crown and along the upper lateral portions thereof. v

An equally important object is to provide a device which supports the crown laterally against collapse in the upper forward regions of the crown, that is to say at the regions most likely to be grasped in handling of the hat, as in putting it on the head and removing it therefrom.

Another object is to provide a device of this general character which is reinforced to assure theproperrigidity, but yet is light in weight,

which is easily adjustable for accommodation of.

different shapes of hat crowns, and which is inexpensive and easily made Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following specification wherein reference is made to the drawings in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a hat with the supporting device shown in dotted lines in place; Figs. 3'

and 4 are fragmentary rear elevations of sweat band engaging tab portions of the device, illustrating respective modifications of such tab portions; Fig.5 is a perspective view of a modification of the device illustrating another manner of effecting adjustment of the hat; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of the device illustrating a modification adapted for a particular style of hat, and Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of a hat with the device of Fig. 6 installed therein.

Referring to the form of the-invention shown in Fig. 1-, the supporting device is shown as comprising principally a single strip or length of Wire which is relatively stiff and resilient, such as relatively small diameter piano wire. The wire is bent or formed at its midportion into a horizontal base I with generally upright legs 2, defining an elongated U-shaped upright portion adapted to support the front of the hat crown. The legs 2 of said portion are movable relatively toward and away from each other resiliently at their upper ends. At the upper part of the upright portion'each of the legs is bent generally transversely of the plane of the upright portion toward the other leg, thus providing two shoulders 3 which are preferably bowed slightly forwardly.

Extending from the opposite ends of the shoulders 3 are horizontal arms 4 which are divergent away from the plane of the upright portion, the free portions of the wire then being bent downwardly substantially parallel to the plane of the upright forward portions (2, 2) and providing upright arms or legs 5 which are usually approximately the same height as the upright forward portion. Beyond the upright arms or legs 5 the wire is bent so as to provide feet 6 which are approximately parallel to the arms 4. The termini of the wire may be bent into small loops which curl upwardly from the feet 6 and-then downwardly, so that the termini 8 of the loops project slightly below the feet for purposes later to be described.

Connected to the legs 2 and bridging from one to the other is a stiffening element 9 which, in the form illustrated, comprises a thin light strip of metal the ends of which are curled into tulbular forms in snug enveloping relation to the legs 2. The stiffener 9 is sufficiently rigid, to withstand inward flexure of the legs, and the tubular ends fit the legs 2 sufficiently snugly to hold the stifiener in place frictionally while permitting movement of the stiffener vertically along the legs for adjustment.

Near the base I the legs 2 are provided with oppositely extendingslightbends or crimps which provide yielding lockingshoulders l0. Mounted on the legs near the base i is a ferrule l I which is comprised of a thin metal plate spanning the two legs and with marginal portions looped about them to provide channels l2 between the front and rear portions of the plate. Notches 13 in the looped margins of the ferrule, and spaced longitudinally of the ferrule, permit the shoulders ID to extend outwardly therethrough from the inside, thus affording adjustment of the ferrule and yieldably retaining the ferrule in vertically adjusted position on the legs 2. The ferrule is provided near the bottom with a widened portion M which extends below the base I and can be bent by hand to fit the contour desired at the forward portions of the hat at the level of the hat-band. The widened portion [4 is inserted in the so-called sweat-band ofthe hat, usually an annular strip of leather or the like.

In use, the device'is installed in the upright position illustrated in Figs.- 1 and 2 by inserting the widened portion ll of the ferrule behind the sweat-band at the forward part of the hat and, by virtue of the adjustment between the ferrule and the legs 2, is positioned so that the bowed shoulders 3 are at the height desired for the front portion of the crown. The feet 8 are then disposed between the sweat-band of the hat and the main body materia'l thereof, e. g. felt or fabric, so that the loops? lie in upright position snugly between the sweat-band and crown. The feet 6 are then pressed down.- wardly until they are seated at the juncture of the sweat-band and crown and may then be moved to any desired position longitudinally of the band. When installed, the termini 8 cooperate with the fabric or band and constrain the feet 6 from movement therealong but, at the same time, the termini are of such limited extent below the feet that they do not dig into the fabric or band sufficiently to distort either.

When the device is thus installed the arms lie adjacent the sides of the crown and the horizontal arms 4, as best illustrated by Fig. 2, enage the open folds of the crown near the top, thus .assisting in supporting the crown. In case the top is creased to a relatively flat shape or by dishing the top inwardly, the device is preferably adjusted so that the arms 4 lie at the juncture of the top and the upper side portion of crown. The frame can be bent by hand to a certain extent and will assume a sufficiently permanent set to retain the shape into which it is bent: and therefore the device may be adapted to substantially any style of hat crown formation desired. 7

Both the stiifeningelement 9 and the ferrule l0 may be bent on a slight curve if some curvature is desired at the front of the crown. If it is desired to draw the legs 2 more closely together toward the top, this may be accomplished readily by bending theelement 9 inwardly, thus shortenlng it.

Referrin next to Fig. 3. a device having legs similar to the legs 2 is illustrated. the legs 20, however, being straight and uncrimped. The ferrule. 2| is provided with tubular portions 21a at its margins which snugly fit the legs 29 and also has an enlarged portion 22 corresponding in operating effect to the ferrule portion M above described. The portion 22, however, is scored along the lines 23 and the metal is severed between the ends of the scoring and curled up to provide a rounded edge or basez. Thus a limited adjustment of height is provided by sliding the ferrule along the arms, 2!! and, in addition, a permanent lengthening or shortening can be effected by breaking off the portions of the metal such as indicated at 25 and 25 defined by the scoring... v

In Fig. 4 another type of adjustment is illustrated. In this form the ferrule is comprised of two portions including a portion 2? corresponding generally to the portion 2| or the upper portion of the ferrule ll heretofore described. The portion 21 is provided with a plurality of tongues 28 whichare formed by cutting of the metal, and is provided with tubular portions 29 which snugly embrace respective legs of the support. The other portion of the ferrule comprises a widened base portion 30 having a narrower extension 3| which fits nugly between and i guided by the portions 29. This extension is provided with slots 32 through which the tongues 28 may be passed and bent as illustrated so as to connect the ferrule portions in the desired longitudinally, i. e. vertically, adjusted position.

In Fig. 5 a device somewhat similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1 is shown. In this form, however, the ferrule H is eliminated and the legs 35 which correspond generally to the legs 2 are provided with a number of fairly large reverse bends, as indicated at 36, shown near the base portion. Due to the length of the individual stretches of wir composing these bends the two legs can easily be lengthened or shortened as desired by further bending the wire by hand. Also, in the form illustrated in Fig. 5, the upright arms or legs 31 which correspond to the portions 5 in Fig. l are bowed inwardly along a substantial portion of their length as indicated at 38 so as to accommodate the crown of the hat when it has imparted to it a side crease which extends rearwardly beyond the upright elements 31. The arms or legs 5 of Fig. 1 may be similarly shaped, if desired, for a particular shaping of the crown.

If desired, the free end portions of the wire ma be bent forwardly, inwardly and upwardly and provided at their ends with eye 39, so that they can be more rmanently afiixed to ventilating eyelets in the crown. The inwardly and upwardly, forwardly extending portions engage and brace the crown along the side rearwardly from the legs 35.

In some instances the hat crown is provided with a number of ventilating holes through which eyelets extend. Hats of this type are quite often formed with a square top rather deeply dished, as illustrated in Fig. 7. For such a hat the device may be modified as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. The legs 48 and the part of the structure embodied therein or attached thereto may take any one of the forms heretofore described and the horizontal arms il correspond generally to the arms 3 of Fig. 1. However, instead of having the free ends of the wire located beyond the ends of the arms 41 in a direction away from the legs 4-0, the free ends of the wire may be located at the upright forward portion of the device and disposed in a ferrule at said forward portion indicated at 42, Fig. 1. The connecting portion of the wire between the arm 4| can be bent downwardly as indicated at 43 to any desirable distance, for instance, sufficient to conform to the depth of the depression in the top of the hat crown indicated at d, and then bent inwardly as indicated at 44 so as to substantially bridge across the underside of the top of the hat and support the depressed portion of the crown. The midportion of the wire is crimped into a form such as indicated at 45 so as to provide a number of connecting radially extensible clasping portions. These portions are adapted to receive an eyelet such as indicated at 46 and tightly, though resiliently, to engage the same for retaining the upper portion of the support in the desired location with reference to the crown, fore and aft of the hat.

It is apparent that with each form of the device illustrated, the hat can be formed into any shape desired within a wide range of limits and the supporting element can be made to conform thereto and thereafter support the hat and maintain the desired shape. Likewise, due to the legs 2 and the shoulders 3, the hat crown is greatly reinforced at the forward top portion where the greatest wear and damage usually occur due to the hat being grasped at said portion for lifting, etc.

I claim: 7

l. A hat crown support comprising a wire frame having a base portion including generally upright stretches of the wire connected together at their lower limits and adapted for insertion between the crown material and inner band of the hat, and spaced generally upright portions extending therefrom and relatively crossed at their upper ends, and arms extending rearwardly from the laterally outward limits of respective crossed portions adapted to reinforce fore and aft folds in the crown material of the hat.

2. A hat crown support comprising a wire frame having a base portion and spaced upright portions extending therefrom and arms extending from the plane of the upright portions and generally divergent in a direction away from said plane and then extending downwardly for substantially the length of said upright portions and then parallel to said divergent portions to form feet, and means in the form of loops with depending portions at the termini of said feet and adapted to be received between an inner band and crown of a hat when the device is installed in such hat and to retain a relatively fixed position therebetween.

3. In a device of the character described and including upright wire members and generally horizontal arms extending rearwardly from the upper ends thereof, a plate member mounted on said upright members near their lowerportions, another plate member slidable along the first plate member, one of said members having openings arranged in a row longitudinally thereof, the other member having tongues receivable through said holes for connecting said members in difierent relatively telescoped positions.

' tending upwardly therefrom, generally horizontal arms extending in diverging relation to each other rearwardly in a direction away from the plane of the upright legs and having depending portions at their outer ends which are bowed in- 1(1' wardly toward each other for accommodating the hat crown adjacent thereto when the same is creased along the sides beyond the depending portions, and foot members at the lower ends of respective depending portions adapted to be received between the base of the crown and the inner hat band.

5. A device of the character described comprising a single piece of wire having its midportion in the form of a base adapted to be positioned adjacent an end portion of a hat, as between the crown and inner band thereof, and having adjacent portions bent to provide legs extending from the base and defining therewith a generally U- shaped portion, the wire at the upper portion of each leg being bent substantially in the plane of the U-shaped portion toward the other wire, in crossing relationship, and then generally in a plane normal to the plane of the legs and in the form of arms extending rearwardly and then downwardly substantially parallel to the legs and for a distance approximating the height of the legs.

GEORGE B. CONIEY. 

